Warrior Cats: Tame Tiger
by Tiakaneko
Summary: A kittypet was expected to fulfill a prophecy made by StarClan. The tame tiger will turn fierce and clean the blood that stains his home. Will he prevail? Or will he fail?
1. Prologue

Author's note: Hello again, people! This would be my first Warriors fanfic and I'd like to dedicate this story to my kittypet, Tiger, who has gone to hunt with StarClan years ago with his mate, a stray white cat. Also to his kits and grandkits, who now have become fathers and mothers themselves. Inspired by his true story.

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**Prologue**

The crescent-shaped moon was shining brightly, painting the forest trees silver. In the forest, wild cats live together and fended for themselves. A pale golden tabby tom sat in the middle of a grassy clearing. His muzzle, chest, underbelly, tail tip and paws were bleached white. Around him were hundreds of strange cats he did not recognize. His lime green eyes showed confusion, which means he had no idea where he was, who these cats were and what they want from him.

One of the many cats, a black and white tom stepped forward. The tabby tom and the black and white tom stared at each other in the eyes. Green eyes met with yellow ones. After a long moment of silence, the black tom spoke up in a voice that sounded many; as if all the cats around were talking together at the same time, though his voice, a deep one sounded the clearest.

"The tame tiger becomes fierce and cleanses the blood that stains his home."

The tabby tom looked even more confused. "What? But my name is Tiger!"

The other tom seemed to ignore his words and continued, "Acknowledge your power within and fulfil this prophecy. You will need it in your upcoming battle."

"Battle? I'm going to a battle?" Tiger asked, eyes wide.

"Though you might not know it, warrior blood runs in your veins," the black and white tom said. He paused. "Your father was a fierce fighter."

"My… father?"

"His spirit is here with us."

As he said that, a golden tabby tom, just like Tiger himself, appeared from the crowd. Though Tiger had never known his father, he knew immediately by smell that this cat was, in fact, his father. His mother once told him, when he was a little kitten, that his father died in a fight.

"Are you… my father?" Tiger asked, excitement rising from his gut.

The tabby tom did not speak, but he nodded. His handsome golden striped coat was shining. As a matter of fact, all the cats here had beautifully shiny pelts. Tiger wanted to move over to his father and touch noses with him as a respectful gesture but for some reason, he was held down by an invisible force. He sat in the middle of the clearing, not being able to move.

"By the powers of StarClan, I grant you courage and speed. Tiger, use these abilities for the sake of goodness," said the black and white tom, stepping back into the crowd of forest cats.

"The tame tiger becomes fierce and cleanses the blood that stains his home," said his father, repeating the first cat's words and stepped back into the crowd as well.

"Father! Wait! What do you mean? What can I do?" Tiger asked desperately. In a sudden, everything seemed to be going distant. Tiger and all the other cats were not moving from their positions, yet they were backing away from each other. It was as if the forest floor was moving itself.

Tiger yelled for his father and demanded to know what was going on. Not one cat answered him. Once they were all well out of Tiger's sight, he woke up. A dream. That was what it had been. He looked around wildly, expecting to see the many cats surrounding him or the forest trees looming over him but all he saw was his house folk's living room, dark, unlit by the lamps.

A small beam of moonlight filtered from the window. The tom sighed and rested his head on his outstretched paws. He could not go back to sleep. He rose from his sleeping place in the basket and walked over to the cat flap installed on the front door. His owners were still asleep. It was still night anyway.

Walking around to the side of the house, he went to his favourite resting spot; an old, battered beanbag which his owners had meant to throw away. He settled comfortably on it and stared upwards into the starry sky. The same moon he saw in his dream appeared here as well. He closed his eyes and thought about the dream.

_What had the black and white cat meant? Prophecy? Battle? How did my father appear in my dream when I have never even met him? _Even as Tiger asked those questions, he knew he would not hear the answers. At least not now.


	2. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Omg, I'm ever so sorry for letting my story hang just like after the prologue! I just suddenly lost the mood to write again... but I'm back now. Sorry again!

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**Chapter 1**

Tiger was lying down on the beanbag with his eyes closed. But he was not asleep. His mind was still swirling with thoughts of the dream he had. He did not even realize that dawn has arrived. He only opened his eyes when he heard his name called.

"Tiger! Hey!"

He looked around to find the cat who called him. He saw Kimiko, a neighboring house cat. She was a young dark brown tabby with a white muzzle and underside. She stood on the post of a fence that separated his house from hers.

"Hello, Kimiko. Where's Jack?" he asked, referring to her brother.

"Oh, you know him... Since his last trip to the vet a few moons ago he has turned lazy. He's still sleeping, of course," she said tartly.

Tiger's whiskers twitched in understanding. "Well, anyway why did you call me?"

"Moon sneaked by last night. He wanted to ask you if you'd go hunting for lizards with him."

"Why didn't he come meet me himself?"

Moon was Tiger's best friend. He was not a house cat like Tiger, Jack or Kimiko. He was one of the feral cats who had no real home or owner. Even so that did not stop the two tomcats from being friends.

"He said he saw one of your house folks walking around the house at night. You know how much he dislikes being seen by your owners," Kimiko explained.

"Yeah..."

Tiger's owners, or as Moon called their kind Twolegs were not so fond of the feral cats. They always chased them away, even when Tiger was talking to them. They seem to allow him to mingle with house cats like Jack and Kimiko only.

"Don't worry, Kimiko. I'll go meet Moon myself today. I have nothing to do now."

"OK then. See you later," she said and jumped down the fence into her own garden.

Tiger stretched his legs, rejuvenating himself. He left his resting spot and walked outside his house limits. He followed alongside the drain ways until he reached an old Twolegs house. Grass grew taller than himself and the smell of wild cats lingered around the house. He made his way through the tall grass and suddenly his paws felt a smooth floor. He had entered the house. The front door was missing, the windows were broken and the walls were dirty. He had to admit that this house was not as clean as his but at least it was a safe place for the wild cats to live in. Twolegs never come to houses like this one.

Inside the house, many cats lay asleep on the floor, curled up or stretched out. Tiger had to watch his paws so that he did not step on one's tail or head. He walked through the party of cats until he saw a particular black cat at a corner of the room. Next to him were two more black cats.

"Hi, Moon!" Tiger greeted cheerily.

The black cat turned around and saw Tiger. "Hi Tiger. I wanted to come meet you last night but-"

"Yeah, I know. Kimiko already told me," he interrupted.

Moon was a large black tom and had a white crescent-shaped dash over his left eye. He lifted one huge paw, licked it and swept it over his ear.

"So, do you want to go chase some lizards today?" Moon asked, still grooming himself.

"Yeah, sure. My paws are itching to go catch something," Tiger said.

"Hello there, Tiger," the black she-cat next to Moon greeted him. She seemed to be sleeping just now.

"Hi, Nightingale. Is Diamond up yet?"

As he asked the question to Moon's mate, a black kit at Nightingale's side raised his head.

"Huh? What'sat? Someone called me?" he asked groggily. He turned his head to see Tiger.

"Hey there, little Diamond," Tiger meowed.

Diamond had a white streak from the top of his head to his nose and a white diamond crest on his chest. He was almost three moons old.

"You wanted to go catch lizards? Mother, can I come?" he asked, suddenly excited.

Nightingale bent down and licked his head. "I'm sorry, Diamond. You're still too small to go out."

Diamond pawed at his mother's muzzle, refusing to be groomed. Nightingale ignored it and kept grooming her son affectionately. After a few useless swipes, he finally gave up and stayed quiet. Moon and Tiger purred in amusement.

"You know, Diamond, we'll take you out hunting once you're six moons old," Tiger said, trying to cheer the kit up.

Diamond's ears pricked upwards. "That's... about three moons from now, right?" he mewed.

"That's right!" Moon said proudly.

"I'll show you! I'll be the best hunter ever!" the kit said ambitiously, raising his rear, trying to copy a hunting crouch.

Moon and Tiger purred again. Perhaps this little kit would grow up to be a good hunter. His posture and balance looked perfect.

"By the way, Tiger, when are you going to have kits?" Moon asked, good-naturedly.

Tiger looked thoughtful. All his house cat friends had gone to the vet once they were six moons old. When they come back, they smelled and acted different. But Tiger's owners never brought him to see the vet and never bought him a collar like his friends'. He never complained though, because he did not want to turn lazy like Jack. He also heard that collars were uncomfortable for his neck. He was free to remain as the cheerful and friendly tom he always was.

"I don't know, Moon. I guess I haven't found my match yet," he finally replied with an unworried look.

Moon nodded at his young and carefree friend. _He will find a suitable she-cat someday_, he thought, looking out at the broken window. Tiger followed the black cat's gaze, into the reddish orange sky, thinking about his family. Maybe one day he will have his own family. Looking back at each other after a moment's gaze, they continued their conversation until the sun rose to a respectable point.

"Oh, look! The day is brighter. Prey should be out by now. We'll be back by sunhigh," Moon told his mate and kit.

The two cats replied with a flick of their tails. Tiger can now see most of the other feral cats waking up. Some of them huddled together in a group grooming each other. Some of them were meowing some gossips. Tiger was amazed to see them living together in an old house as a group.

But behind their content faces, a terrible dark force had been threatening these cats for many moons. Most of the cats here had been driven out of their old territories by a band of murderous rogue cats and even lost some family and friends. Moons ago, the rogue cats found a suitable empty Twolegs nest and made it their home. They also started calling themselves BloodClan cats.

Since then, they seemed to have stopped expanding their territories but the killing went on. The survivors and those who managed to escape--Moon and Nightflower among them--moved in to a small abandoned Twolegs nest not too far away from Tiger's home. Tiger was the one who first found them, lost and scared, and made peace with them. That was how he and Moon became friends.

Automatically, the feral cats and Tiger's house cat friends lived together on their piece of territory which they have agreed to share. Finally, those cats have found a place to stay; a place to call home. Here, BloodClan does not threaten them. They felt safe. But will the peacefulness last? Tiger wondered as he and Moon reached a grassy field lined with many bushes and short trees.

Moon's words broke off his thoughts. "Tiger, there's one," he whispered, pointing to a lizard with his ears.

Tiger and Moon sat crouched down on the ground, unmoving. They both had pinpointed the lizard's location, sunning itself near a bush of jasmine flowers. Their paws stood lightly on the ground to ready themselves for a dash. Moon lifted his front paw slowly but did not land it on the grass for fear he would scare away his prey.

He stayed in that position for a long moment. In a flash, both he and Tiger sprinted to the lizard. It quickly tried to scramble away into the safety of the bushes but Tiger was too fast for it. He stabbed the lizard's body with his claws. It writhed for a second before going completely limp. Picking up the dead lizard with his mouth, he showed it to Moon.

"Wow, Tiger! That speed! How did you get so quick on your paws?" Moon complimented.

"I… I don't know. It just… came to me, I guess," he said in a muffled meow, with the lizard still between his teeth. He did not think Moon would believe him if he said a bunch of spirit-cats came to him in his dream and blessed with the speed.

"Well, whatever it is, it was amazing! I've never seen a faster cat in my life!"

"Thanks, Moon. That'd be enough. Here, take this lizard to Diamond. You know, I think I hear my owner calling. See you tomorrow!" he said, almost too quickly.

"What's the hurry, friend? You only just caught one lizard!"

It seemed that Tiger had run off towards his home's direction. He did not hear Moon's last sentence. Moon tilted his head slightly to one side in confusion.

"But… I didn't hear his Twolegs calling him at all!" he said out loud to himself.


	3. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I've always imagined my Tiger as a cool, cheerful cat/person (XD), so I included that type of personality in this fanfiction. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 2**

Tiger ran back home as fast as he could. He lied; his owners did not call him. He was just too shocked of his newfound ability. He did not think what the spirits said were true; all of it. He also did not want Moon to think he was crazy to have believed in dreams like that. He climbed back onto his beanbag and licked his ruffled fur. His tail was fluffed up, so he calmed himself down and his fur flattened.

One of his housefolk came out of the front door. She walked to Tiger and bent down to pick him up. Tiger allowed himself to be caressed and petted. He closed his eyes and let his owner soothe his feelings.

While he was being petted, a fat long-haired white cat with black splotches came to the edge of the fence, where Kimiko stood last night. His wide green eyes stared on. Tiger's owner did not mind him jumping into their garden. The Twolegs tickled his chin, who obviously enjoyed it.

"Hello, Jack," Tiger greeted Kimiko's brother. "Here to share my owner's petting hand?"

"Hello. I just thought I'd come to share you this news. Have you heard about it yet? A strange white cat crossed into our territory."

Tiger's ears pricked up. _What if this white cat Jack mentioned is one of BloodClan?_ he thought. He had to find out.

"Jack, where did this cat come from?" he asked.

"I don't know. I only heard this from Kimiko and she said Blackline was the one who saw this white cat."

Tiger was curious. He wanted to know who this cat was. Before the vet, Jack had always managed to get his paws on the best gossip around. He usually meowed about the latest news to everyone. Now, he only stays at home, listening to what his sister says everyday. It looks like Tiger would have find out about the white cat by himself now. He missed having Jack filling in all the details.

He tried to break free from his owner's grasp but she kept pulling him back, wanting to pet him more. He unsheathed his claws by accident and scratched her petting hand, though only merely. She yelped and let go. He quickly bounded across the garden, leaving his owner and Jack without so much of a meow.

He soon arrived at edge of his territory. He stopped and looked on to the other side; BloodClan's territory. He had never met a BloodClan before. He had imagined them as mangy, scruffy cats who enjoyed the sight of blood, as they were always killing other cats.

Kimiko's love interest, Blackline was a dark brown tabby like herself, only darker, bigger and stronger. He was not one Moon's feral cats group nor a house cat. He had been living in the ditches near Kimiko's house since forever, as a loner type of cat. Like Tiger, he had never seen a BloodClan cat. He volunteered to patrol their boundaries from his territory, anxious to fight one and prove his strength.

"Tiger? What brings you here? As far as I know, you've never stepped paw on this side of our territory," Blackline said in a deep meow.

"Yes, I know. But you see, Jack told me you saw a white cat coming in here. I wanted to have a look at him."

"That's right, a white cat came. _She_ begged long enough, wanting to join our group but I sent her away. She could be trouble, you know. Probably spying for BloodClan, " he spat the last word angrily. "Why, anyway? Do you know a cat with the same appearance details and wants to meet him?"

"She? She begged to join? Blackline, that cat could be _in_ trouble instead of_ be_ trouble! When did she come?" Tiger felt something stirring in him.

"Just this morning-! Wait! Hey! Come back here!" Blackline screamed after him.

Tiger sprinted off way deep into BloodClan territory. He was determined to save this white cat, if she really was innocent and meant no harm to their group. Blackline should not have sent her back into this awful territory. Weeds sprouted everywhere and black flies buzzed around fallen garbage cans. How could BloodClan mess up the neighborhood like this?

Tiger stopped abruptly. He picked up a scent. It was somehow warm and comforting. He assumed it as the she-cat's scent. He followed it and it led him into the dirty drains. True enough, a white she-cat with piercing blue eyes huddled in the drain, looking solemn. Tiger tried to approach with extra caution.

"Hey there. I'm Tiger. You… you're not from BloodClan, are you?" he said in a kind voice.

The white she-cat flinched and looked up at him. She seemed surprised when she saw him; she did not smell him even though they were only a tail's length away. She was about to open her mouth to answer his question but a pair of pale yellow eyes stared from behind Tiger. He also started to feel a presence behind him. He jumped and turned to look.

It was a black-brownish tom with shaggy long hair and a broad face. Battle scars were all over his body and his claws looked unusually long. He wore a collar, studded with different sized teeth.

"Back away from her, you disgusting kittypet!" he snarled.

"Disgusting? Pardon me, but look who's talking, kitty. Besides, _you're_ the one with the collar," Tiger replied coolly. He did not know who this tom was, but he was not going to let someone make him look like a fool in front of a beautiful white she-cat.

The long-haired tom growled at him and his sharp claws lengthened. Tiger realized in horror that his claws had been extended with dogs' teeth. Tiger remained calm, though his paws pricked uncomfortably. The white cat stayed in her position but Tiger could smell her strong fear-scent. Without warning, the other tom sprang onto Tiger's back. His claws dug in deep into his shoulders. Tiger immediately fell down and screamed in pain. He did not struggle and had a fearful look on his face.

"Hah! I knew a kittypet like you would easily give up this fight! I've never met a sorrier cat in my life!" he scoffed and released Tiger, who quickly scrambled away, shoulders bleeding.

He ignored Tiger and turned to the white she-cat. She did not look relieved at all to see him.

"Why do you want me?" she asked.

"Why? I want a decent successor. I want my own kits to lead BloodClan in the future," he told her. "All my other kits are too weak! They died! What shame they had brought _me_, leader of BloodClan!" he spat.

"Of course they died! You trained them so hard while they were still suckling!" she retaliated angrily.

"How did you know that?" he asked quietly eerie.

"I- I heard from one of your queens…" she stammered in a timid voice.

"Which queen?" he bellowed.

The she-cat flinched and stayed silent.

"I demand you to tell me which queen gave you that piece of information!" he yelled again. The white cat still did not say anything and he threatened her, "If you won't tell me now, forget about mothering my kits, I shall just kill you now!"

He raised his paw, cruel extended claws glinting in the sun's rays. She shut her eyes tight, ready to accept her fate.

A yowl broke into the air.

The dark long-haired tom turned his head to see what had bitten his leg. It was Tiger. The white cat's face lit up.

Relieved, she meowed, "You came back!"

Tiger released his bite and said, "Actually, I never left you. That was just a hustle. I hid and waited for the right moment to strike, while listening to everything you said." Opening his mouth and coughing, he referred to the dark-colored tom, "By the way, when was the last time you washed yourself? You taste awful!"

"How dare you insult me? I am Sickle, the leader of BloodClan!" the tom yowled, annoyed.

"Oh, enough with the BloodClan thing already! You don't look fit to be a leader of anything!" Tiger said and purred a laughter, thinking this was all a joke. "I mean, come on, he's not _really_ BloodClan's leader, right?" he asked the white cat, still laughing.

The she-cat's icy blue eyes were wide as she nodded her head slowly.

"Wha-? He _is_?" he looked at her and Sickle, back and forth. "Seriously?"

"What a waste of time! Let me show you why my cats chose me as their leader! And why I am called Sickle!" he yelled a challenge.

He swiped at Tiger with his dangerously hooked claws, but with the tabby tom's incredible speed, he missed. At first, Sickle did not want to believe what he witnessed, but after several more attacks, he knew he had admit that Tiger was pretty quick on his paws. Tiger too, had noticed that Sickle could not keep up with his celerity.

"Stop evading my attacks and face me, you coward!" Sickle taunted.

"Looks like I'm a little too fast for you! Let me slow down a bit," Tiger said confidently.

He ran around Sickle in circles. He tried to keep Tiger in sight but he was constantly moving around fast. Suddenly, Tiger stopped right in front of him. He stood on only his hind legs and slashed his claws repeatedly in Sickle's face. Then, while Sickle was scrunching his face up in pain, Tiger headbutted him right in the face. He staggered and fell. Tiger took the time to land a hard blow on Sickle's claws. His attack broke two of the dogs' teeth from his claws.

Sickle was shocked from seeing his most treasured weapons broken. He had always felt invincible with the teeth intact. Now that Tiger had found a way to destroy them, he knew he was in danger. Before he knew it, Tiger had jumped onto his back and held him down with his own claws.

"Oh, I lied. I didn't slow down; I sped up instead!" Tiger said victoriously.

Trying to hide his building worries, Sickle growled, "Grr, get off me, kittypet!"

"Be quiet! And stop calling me kittypet or whatever! You started this fight and you lost, in your own territory! I now declare this part of territory mine! The she-cat comes with me, too. You are not to lay a filthy paw on her, understand?" Tiger demanded, an aura of overpowering strength suddenly surrounding him.

"You can't take my-!"

"Silence!" he blustered. "Be gone, Sickle. I shall mark this area as my own now. If I ever see you on my territory, I will not hesitate to kill you."

He bit Sickle's right ear into shreds and released him. The BloodClan leader ran away shamefully, back to his Clan's base house. His loss was a disgrace to himself and his Clan.

"He won't be showing his ugly face around here anymore!" Tiger announced proudly, apparently, back to being his cheerful self.


	4. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Oh yeah, do note that some cats here are based on real-life cats. They are Tiger, Clearwhite, Nightingale, Blackline, Kimiko and Jack. The rest are made up by me.

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**Chapter 3**

Tiger had defeated the leader of BloodClan; the rumored strongest cat in the neighbourhood. Now, it seems, he had automatically taken that title. The white she-cat he had saved from Sickle was grateful for his help.

"Thank you for saving my life, um… Tiger," the white cat said with a melodious meow.

"No problem at all! What did you say your name was again?"

"I didn't. It's Clearwhite. I…"

"Ah, the name suits you," Tiger interrupted. "I know, you want a home, do you? I'll give a home! Come, follow me."

Clearwhite followed Tiger out of the drain. She hastily licked herself, trying to wash away the stink of the drain water. Tiger also made an effort to clean himself, for the sake of looking good in front of Clearwhite. Then he winced, realizing his shoulders still hurt from Sickle's claws. He bent his head to reach the wound but was surprised to see that Clearwhite had already beaten him to it. She was licking the wound for him. Though surprised by her actions, he said nothing.

Finished, Tiger blinked thankfully at Clearwhite, who replied with a shy nod. He walked to a patch of grass, raised his tail and marked his new territory with his scent. Going to another spot, near a short tree, he marked his scent too. Sickle and his cats were now forbidden to cross beyond these points. As he walked back to Blackline's guard post with Clearwhite, he stopped a couple more times to expand his territory.

At the boundaries, he saw Blackline and Moon together, talking to each other. Without seeing or smelling Tiger and Clearwhite coming from the distance, Moon turned tail and left. Blackline soon saw and rushed over to Tiger, asking him questions about the white she-cat and scolding him for running straight into BloodClan territory like that.

"Okay, first of all, this is Clearwhite. She is not a BloodClan cat and she means no harm to our colony," Tiger explained. "I will now take her to my home, while I leave you to tell Moon and the others to discuss about whether she could stay or not."

"But I can't leave here now…" Blackline pointed out.

"Trust me, BloodClan won't come here so soon. Not after their leader was defeated by yours truly," Tiger said smugly.

"What? You did what?" he yowled loudly. "But how? That's impossible! I heard he was the strongest cat around! And you; you're so small! It's too-!"

"You underestimated him. I was there; I saw him fighting with Sickle," Clearwhite chimed in.

"Blackline, I'll explain everything in my own words later. Just go tell them first. Come to me once you've decided. You know where to find me," Tiger said.

The big dark tabby tom snorted. Since when did puny little Tiger become so proud?

"There are others?" Clearwhite asked when he had gone off.

"Yes, many more; those who were against BloodClan. I am not exactly one of them. I'm just a house cat," he told her. "But we, house cats share our territories with the wild cats, forming one big colony of non-BloodClan cats."

While the walked to his house, he explained to her how the feral cats came to his neighborhood to escape BloodClan's threat and how he made peace with them. Clearwhite listened intently and had told Tiger everything she knew about the murderous BloodClan. She said that Sickle would do anything to gain his glory back as BloodClan leader.

"Tiger, because of what happened today, Sickle will now never leave you alone. He will try every method to get his revenge on you," she said with great concern. "Oh well, though I'm sure you'll find a way to defeat him again."

She was giving him an admiring look. Tiger stared back at her. Seeing that beautiful face of hers, he just could not be modest and say something negative to her, so he just nodded back.

"But still…" she stopped. Tiger gave her a reassuring lick on the ear and she continued, "I feel fully responsible for this whole event… If I hadn't…"

The golden tabby tom was shocked. "Clearwhite… Why would you say that? It was I who decided to take him on. You are not at fault."

She opened her mouth to say something but Tiger pressed his nose against hers.

"Stop… You are not at fault," he repeated. "…and that's final."

Eye contact between them told each other everything they need to know. They were both clearly attracted to each other. Clearwhite looked away and Tiger realized she was being shy. They continued their way to Tiger's house silently. Once arrived, he showed her his favorite beanbag. She climbed onto it and settled comfortably in it by curling herself up. The tabby tom lied down just on the grass in front of her. He rolled on his back and stared into the sky. It was turning to a hue of bluish-purple.

"The great sun is setting…"

Clearwhite also looked up at the sky. Tiger glanced at her secretly and was drowning in her twinkling sapphire-like eyes. He never felt this way before. He had met a lot of she-cats among the colony of feral cats and some of the soft house cats, but he never thought of each one as he thought of Clearwhite. She was exceptionally beautiful. Her snow-white coat of fur shined glossily, even after living in BloodClan's territory for so long.

This silence kept on for a long moment until a visitor came to see Tiger. It was none other than Moon himself.

"Tiger, I was sent to fetch you. Blackline told us everything, but we would like to hear more from you." Moon noticed Clearwhite and acknowledged her presence, "You must be the said white cat. I'm Moon, Tiger's best friend… Wait… Don't I know you?" he exclaimed.

He went over to her and sniffed her scent. His eyes went wide as he realized he knew her.

"You're Clearwhite! I thought… we all thought you were dead!"

Calmly, she replied, "Hello, Moon. It truly is nice to see you again. How is Nightingale? Why, we haven't met each other for almost four moons now. The last time I saw her, she was pregnant. You have kits now then?"

"Only one," Moon said. "His name is Diamond. You must come and meet him. Tiger, you come too. Greycloud wants a word with you."

"That is to be expected…" Tiger said, getting up.

"Is it true? You defeated Sickle?"

"Why is everyone making Sickle sound so superior? He was very big and slow, not to mention ugly; any kit could've battled him, if I could!" he said in exasperation.

"But, Tiger… Many of our fighters in the colony have fought him and his followers to death. They were the most experienced and the strongest battlers among us. Surely an untrained house cat like you would not last a moment in battle with him; no offense meant."

"None taken," he shook his head. He finally let out a long breath, "There is something that I should tell you, Moon. Clearwhite, I trust you, so you might as well just listen, too. This is only for the two of you to hear. Don't tell anyone, and for StarClan's sake, don't laugh at me!" he emphasized at the two cats in front of him.

"StarClan? What's that?" Moon asked, surprised.

"That is what I'm about to tell you."

Moon nodded and sat down on the greening grass. He waited patiently for his friend to start talking. Clearwhite remained curled up in the beanbag she was in, ears pricked.

Tiger took in a deep breath before starting, "Last night, I experienced a strange dream. A big colony of spirit-like cats came to talk to me in my dream. I think they call themselves StarClan. One representative, a black and white tom said this: The tame tiger becomes fierce and cleanses the blood that stains his home."

"What does that mean? It sounds as if it has a hidden meaning," Clearwhite pointed out.

"It does. It's a prophecy. And unfortunately, I don't know what it means, really," Tiger replied, closing his eyes to think.

"Do you reckon maybe the 'tame tiger' means you?" Moon spoke up after a while.

"Maybe. But it's all not making sense! Why would I become fierce? No blood stains my home."

"What else happened in your dream?" Clearwhite asked.

"It's crazy but my father appeared in my dream, as well. Truth is; I've never met my father! My mother once told me he died fighting, when my eyes still weren't open. It seems as if he and all the spirit-cats gave me the power of speed and courage," his head shot up in realization. "Probably that was why I was able to defeat Sickle so easily!"

"You mean it really happened?" Moon almost could not believe it, but he found himself believing anyway. "That explains the incident earlier today…"

His friend nodded. "Now, Clearwhite says Sickle will come for me no matter what."

"But that would mean danger to us all! He has a great amount of followers by his side!"

"Let's go see Greycloud now," Tiger said.

Moon and Clearwhite looked at each other and then followed him to the feral cats' nest. They were expected by everyone. All the cats formed a circle and left an empty space in the middle. An extremely old grey tom sat calmly there. His faded yellow eyes followed Clearwhite.

"Could it be you, Clearwhite?" he rasped. "You're not dead?"

At that, everyone else started muttering and mewing. They all knew Clearwhite. As far as they know, 4 moons ago, while they were in BloodClan's territory, Clearwhite was one of the sacrificed.

"Is that her?"

"Probably another she-cat…"

"But I recognize her smell!"

"Perhaps it's her spirit."

Greycloud silenced them all by getting up. He came close to the assumed-dead white she-cat.

"Greycloud, it is me… I'm not dead. I've been secretly hiding within BloodClan territory. I wanted to find out their weakness," she told him. "I found out that Sickle wants his own kit to be his successor, though each of his kits died from abusive training."

"4 moons of living in that rotting place without ever being discovered? How lucky you are… but it was a foolish thing to do!"

Clearwhite hung her head. "I know. I was found by Sickle himself today. That was why I tried to come here. But that fellow over there," she said, pointing to Blackline with her tail. "He wouldn't let me pass, thinking I was from BloodClan."

"That is Blackline. He lived around here even before we came. He says he is the strongest, so he patrols our territorial boundaries. He didn't know who you were. Forgive him," Greycloud explained.

From the crowd of cats, Blackline gave a short grunt.

"But anyway, as I was forced back into BloodClan territory to face Sickle, Tiger suddenly came and saved me from him. He defeated Sickle and even broke two of his long claws with just one blow on his paw!"

All cats in the house gasped, including Greycloud. He came to face Tiger.

"Tiger, I underestimated you. I never thought I would say this but, will you help protect us from Sickle and his cats?" he said. "I will now acknowledge you as one of our strongest," he bowed.

Tiger looked around and saw that every cat had also bowed their heads to him. Even Moon and Clearwhite gave him a slight, modest bow. Though, one tom refused to bow to him. It was Blackline.

"This is foxdung! I will never admit a kittypet as our protector!" he bellowed, stomping one paw. "How would you know he actually defeated BloodClan's leader or not?"

"Are you calling me a liar? I saw his battle with my own eyes!" Clearwhite called at him.

"I don't believe you!" he insisted. "Tiger, I challenge you to a one-on-one fight! Prove to me your strength!"

"I don't partake in unnecessary battles," Tiger replied emotionlessly.

"You're scared, are you? You knew I'm stronger than you!"

"No, I'm not scared! You're the one who is scared! You are scared to face the fact that I _did_ defeat Sickle! And you are scared to see that I am a better fighter than you!" he snapped. He growled, "Fine, I'll battle you; if that's what you want. Don't whine once I rout you!"

"I won't…" Blackline meowed confidently as he got into a fighting stance.


End file.
